It can be difficult to check the mailbox for mail in some situations. Some mailboxes are located a long distance from the residence, requiring driving or a long walk to reach the mailbox. Other mailboxes are closer but are difficult to reach during inclement weather such as cold, rain or snowstorms. Many inventors have attempted to solve this problem with varying success. Some of the inventions rely on a mechanical device that must be visible from the home to be accessible. While these devices may show that the mail has arrived, they may not be visible due to weather, poor visibility or terrain obstructions. Other inventors have attempted to solve the problem electronically by using sensors combined with radio transceivers to sense the arrival of mail and send the information to receiving devices such as a personal computer. Many of these devices are but electronic versions of earlier mechanical inventions and replace the line of sight problems with battery drain issues and inaccurate mail status information. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,595 to Bennett, uses a door position switch along with a radio transmitter to communicate to the user if the mailbox door has been opened or not. The problem with this approach is that while it does communicate whether the door has been opened it cannot tell the user if mail has been placed in the mailbox. There are many instances where mail is left in the mailbox to be picked up by the U.S. Postal Service. The Bennett invention would only tell that the door on the mailbox has been opened and it must be assumed that the mail has been picked up. It does not include a way to verify that the mail has indeed been picked up or if other mail was delivered and left in the mailbox.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,305 to Murphy et al, describes a device that senses the opening of the mailbox door and transmits the information to the user. It does not tell the user if the mail was removed, if new mail was delivered or if a prankster or someone with ill intent has placed a potentially hazardous object in the mailbox. Other inventions that have these same flaws are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,377,906, 6,433,684, 6,114,959 and 4,872,210. None of these inventions can verify that mail was removed and replaced with delivered mail, identify the object placed in the mailbox, or that mail was removed and the mailbox left empty.
Others inventions require the use of cell phones, personal computers or data handling and storage devices to retrieve the information about the contents of a mailbox. These inventions are unreasonably complex, use large amounts of power and can be costly to produce. U.S. patent application number 2002/0103868 to Kahn describes a complex system that requires a computer system to be able to check the presence or absence of mail. Not only is this system costly to build but it is difficult to operate due to its complexity. It is impractical for a single mailbox since it is inordinately expensive to manufacture. The Kahn, application does not give any method to identify potential suspicious objects in the mailbox that may contain dangerous materials, a serious flaw.
U.S. patent application number 2002/0024438 to Roberson also uses a data handling system that is unnecessarily complex and difficult to install for a single mailbox. This invention requires the added equipment of a mailbox control unit to store the information and some type of remote access device to retrieve the stored information. This invention describes the optional installation of a digital video camera to transmit a digital image to the mailbox control unit for information storage. The inclusion of the digital video camera allows viewing of the contents of the mail only in locations where the digital camera and transmission of data does not create an excessive power drain. Remote, single mailbox locations usually do not have the necessary power source at the mailbox itself and necessitate running a separate a power line to the mailbox.
While the Roberson application solves some problems it creates others that make it impractical in remote single-mailbox locations. The digital image must be transmitted at great power consumption and stored in a remote memory storage device. This data is then accessed remotely by using a cell phone or by computer access over the world wide web. The excessive power drain required to transmit the digital image and the long transmission time make this impractical for locations that do not have a connection to a permanent power source. This system is not instantaneous, requires the transmission of data to a storage device and remote access of the stored data using special equipment all showing the obvious disadvantages of the invention.
It is the object of this invention to create a device that has minimal power consumption using equipment that transmits an analog instantaneous image of the contents of the mailbox to the user on demand. The instantaneous image is only visible while the user maintains the operation of the unit by pressing a momentary contact switch insuring the power drain is minimal. After the user releases the switch, the device will enter an extremely low power wait mode until next accessed. The device is mounted inside the mailbox, is self-contained and does not require any power source other than batteries or optionally a solar charger to extend the battery life even longer.
The present invention will allow the user to instantaneously check the interior of the mailbox remotely to see if mail has been picked up and/or if new mail delivered. It also eliminates the potential risk to the user from acts of foul play or terrorism involving dangerous articles placed in the mailbox such as a pipe bomb. While these acts of terrorism are rare, they have occurred in the past and occur most often in rural or remote locations where the terrorist cannot be seen while placing the object in the mailbox.